Tag Archive for 'portugal'

The first shipments of wine under the name Port were recorded in 1678. In 1756 the Port wine vineyards of the Douro Valley in northern Portugal, became the first vineyard area in the world to be legally demarcated. Here, indigenous varieties of grapes, including the Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Tinta Amarela are grown on the steep rocky hillsides bordering the Douro River. Many of the oldest vineyards, now classified as World Heritage, are planted on narrow terraces supported by hundreds of hand built dry stone walls.

Although the wine is produced inland in the vineyards of the upper Douro Valley, it takes its name from the coastal city of Oporto from which it is traditionally exported. Until well into the 20th century, the wine was carried down the river Douro from the vineyards in special boats known as barcos rabelos. The wine was then unloaded into the ‘lodges’ of the Port houses which line the narrow lanes of Vila Nova de Gaia opposite the old city centre of Oporto, to be aged, blended, bottled and finally shipped.

Join us as we talk with Robert Bower, Sales and Export Manager for the Fladgate Parternership and representing Croft, Taylor’s, and Fonseca. You’ll hear a little about Port’s history, its different styles, its food pairings, and most importantly, how to drink it!

When someone talks about the wines from Portugal, most of us naturally assume that we are talking about Port, the fortified wine from the Douro Valley region. Well, there are more to the wines of Portugal than merely Port. In fact, there are a whole host of non-fortified wines, made from some 39 varieties of grapes.

Join us as we talk with António Mendes Lopes, Owner and Chief Winemaker at Vidigal Wines. There might be more to Portugal then you think.

Port wines can seem like a challenging subject. There are all sorts of bottlings: vintage date, late-bottled vintage date, Colheitas, single Quintas, and still others know as ruby reserve, crusted, or white — and let’s not forget the various tawny Ports of 10, 20, 30 and 40 years of age. Why are there so many different bottlings, and where does one begin to explore all of these fortified wines? Thankfully, we had the opportunity to talk with Louisa Fry from the Port and Douro Wines Institute, an inter-professional council of growers and producers from this famous Portugese region.

Join us as we hear about the origins of Port, what it takes to get a vintage declared, and whether it’s called Port or Porto. We’ll also discuss the amazingly steep terraces of Portugal’s Douro region, and the varieties of grapes that are able to be blended into the final product. Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without hearing about the optimum time to drink Port.

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GrapeRadio is a wine talk show. Show topics cover issues such as the enjoyment of wine, wine news and industry trends - the hallmark of the show is interviews with world class guest (winemakers, vineyards owners, wine retail / wholesale leaders, restaurateurs and sommeliers). The scope of the show is international so expect to hear many guests from around the world.

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